Quick release pool skimmer basket apparatus

ABSTRACT

A quick release pool skimmer basket apparatus includes a basket having a sidewall, a filter element coupled to the sidewall to move between an open position and a closed position, and a handle extending upwardly from the basket. A trigger in the handle is operatively coupled to the filter element to hold the filter element in the closed position. Activation of the trigger releases the bottom from the closed position to the open position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to pool equipment, and moreparticularly to pool skimmer accessories.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most swimming pools have a pool pump and filter assembly to removedebris, both large and small from the pool and to cleanse and purify thepool water, so that swimmers may enjoy a clean, healthy pool. Pool pumpand filter assemblies are essential for maintaining a useable pool, andkeeping the pool pump and filter assembly clean, free of foreign debris,and working is important.

In many swimming pools, water is drawn off the top surface of the poolwater, and also near the bottom of the pool, into piping thatcommunicates the water to the pool pump and filter assembly. A pump inthe pool pump and filter assembly spins an impeller to create pressurewhich draws the water into the pool pump and filter assembly and whichreturns water to the pool after it has been filtered and cleaned. Afilter in the pool pump and filter assembly typically removes very fineparticulates from the pool water, but there are several pre-filterswhich remove larger material before it can reach the pool pump andfilter assembly. One pre-filter is disposed just upstream of the pumpand prevents debris from entering the impeller of the pump.

Another pre-filter, carried in the pool skimmer assembly, is disposedupstream from the pre-filter for the pump. The pool skimmer assemblyroutes water from either the top surface of the pool water, the bottomof the pool, or both, into the pool pump and filter assembly. The poolskimmer routes water from the surface of the pool water into the poolpump and filter assembly when the pool water is at a high level. Whenthe pool water is at a low level, the pool skimmer routes water from thebottom of the pool into the pool pump and filter assembly. The poolskimmer is typically fit with a basket that collects debris from thewater immediately after being drawn from the pool. The basket generallyhas large openings and collects large items, such as leaves, sticks,twigs, bugs, feathers, and other similar debris. Various designs anddevelopments have been made with pool skimmer baskets, including basketsthat lock into the pool skimmer, baskets with handles, baskets thatminimize clogging, and baskets that minimize the destructive effects ofcavitation. With all of these designs, the basket eventually fills withdebris, becomes clogged, and has to be emptied for the pool pump andfilter assembly to operate properly. Unfortunately, most pool skimmerbaskets are very difficult to clean, and debris can become stuck in thebasket, requiring that the basket be shaken violently, beat against ahard object, or that the pool operator actually use his hand to dig outwater-logged debris. The inventor has realized that an improved poolskimmer basket is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the principle of the invention, a pool skimmer basketapparatus includes a basket having a sidewall and bottom pivotallymounted to the sidewall to move between an open position and a closedposition. A handle extends upwardly from the basket to above the basketand carries a trigger which is operatively coupled to the bottom.Activation of the trigger releases the bottom from the closed positionto the open position. In operation, the basket apparatus is applied to apool skimmer assembly and collects debris drawn off the surface of thepool water. When the basket apparatus becomes full with debris, thebasket apparatus is gripped by the handle, removed from the poolskimmer, and taken over a trash can. The trigger is activated, and thebottom is released, allowing the collected debris to fall out of thebasket apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a basket apparatus constructed andarranged in accordance with the principle of the invention, illustratinga basket with a sidewall and a bottom, and a handle extending from thebasket;

FIG. 2A is a bottom perspective view of the basket apparatus of FIG. 1,showing the bottom in a closed position;

FIG. 2B is a bottom perspective view of the basket apparatus of FIG. 1,showing the bottom in an open position;

FIG. 3A is a section view of the basket apparatus of FIG. 1 taken alongthe line 3A-3A in FIG. 1, showing the bottom of the basket in the closedposition; and

FIG. 3B is a section view of the basket apparatus of FIG. 1 taken alongthe line 3B-3B in FIG. 2B, showing the bottom of the basket in the openposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now is made to the drawings, in which the same referencecharacters are used throughout the different figures to designate thesame elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a quick release pool skimmer basket apparatus 10(“basket apparatus 10”) constructed and arranged in accordance with theprinciple of the invention for application and use with a pool skimmerassembly to collect debris before it enters the pool pump and filterassembly. The basket apparatus 10 includes a basket 11 having a sidewall12 and a bottom 13, and an elongate handle 14 coupled to the basket 11and extending above the basket 11 so as to be easily grabbed and grippedby hand. The bottom 13 is coupled to the sidewall 12 at a hinge 15formed between the bottom 13 and the sidewall 12, and the bottom 13pivots from a closed position to an open position in response todepression of a trigger 16 carried in the handle 14. The basketapparatus 10 is normally applied into a pool skimmer assembly andpositioned in a flow of water from the pool to the pool pump and filter,and as water is drawn into the pool skimmer assembly, debris carried inthe flow of water is trapped by the basket apparatus 10. When the basketapparatus 10 fills with debris, or when it is desired to clean thedebris from the basket apparatus 10, a user grabs the handle 14, removesthe basket apparatus 10 from the pool skimmer assembly, and depressesthe trigger 16, thereby releasing the bottom 13 into the open positionthereof and allowing debris collected in the basket 11 to fall out.

The basket 11 a fluid-pervious receptacle for collecting debris from aflow of water entering the pool pump and filter assembly. The sidewall12 and bottom 13 cooperate together to filter debris from the water andallow an operator to later remove and deposit the debris elsewhere. Thesidewall 12 is formed integrally to a frame 20 of the basket 11. Inshape, the frame 20 is generally concave, having an inverted, truncatedconical form. The frame 20 has an upstream end 21 and an opposeddownstream end 22, and the sidewall 12 extends between the upstream anddownstream ends 21 and 22. In operation, the upstream end 21 ispositioned at an upstream, or intake, end of the pool skimmer assembly,and the downstream end 22 is positioned downstream from the upstream end21, so that the flow of water moves through the basket 11 generallyalong the line indicated in FIG. 1 with the reference character A,representing a flow of water A. The frame 20 has a height B, and atapered diameter, which includes an upstream diameter C and a downstreamdiameter D. The upstream diameter C is slightly larger than thedownstream diameter D.

Throughout this description, the terms upstream and downstream will beused contextually to describe relative locations. When “upstream” isused to describe the position of an element, the term means that theelement is located in a direction from the downstream end 22 to theupstream end 21, and when “downstream” is used to describe the positionof an element, the term is means that the element is located in thedirection from the upstream end 21 to the downstream end 22. In context,the term “above” may be supplanted for “upstream,” and the term “below”may replace “downstream,” as each of the figures adopts a vertical viewin which the basket apparatus 10 has an upstream end 21-up anddownstream end 22-down orientation.

The upstream end 21 of the frame 20 is formed with a rigid, overhanginglip 23 which has a solid, continuous, and annular upper surface 24, asolid, continuous, and annular outer surface 25, and a solid,continuous, and annular inner surface 26 opposed to the outer surface25. The outer and inner surfaces 25 and 26 each extend away from theupstream end 21 a distance E toward the downstream end 22. Distance E isalso considered the height of the lip 23. The sidewall 12 extendsdownstream from the inner surface 26 of the lip 23. The lip 23 providesrigidity to the frame 20, especially when the flow of water A movesquickly. The lip 23 is an interface with the pool skimmer assembly andsupports the frame 20 in the pool skimmer assembly.

Typically, when the basket apparatus 10 is applied to a pool skimmerassembly, the bottom 13 will rest against a bottom of the pool skimmerassembly, and the outer surface 25 of the lip 23 will rest in directcontact with and along an inner surface of the pool skimmer assembly, sothat the sidewall 12 is set just off from the inner surface of the poolskimmer assembly.

The sidewall 12 is constructed from a plurality of spaced-apartconcentric rings 30 and spaced-apart vertical or longitudinal ribs 31.Each ring 30 overlies each rib 31, and conversely, each rib 31 overlieseach ring 30, and where the rings 30 and ribs 31 overlie each other,each ring 30 is fused, adhered, welded, or preferably, integrally formedto the rib 31 in the molding process. In this way, the rings 30 and ribs31 characterize the sidewall 12 as a strong, rigid mesh of overlaps 32and holes 33 spacing the overlaps 32 apart. Each of the holes 33 is incommunication with an interior 34 of the basket 11 and a space outsideof the sidewall 12, so that water may flow along the line A into theinterior 34 of the basket 11 and then out of the basket 11 through theholes 33 in the sidewall 12. When the basket apparatus 10 is applied toa pool skimmer assembly, water flowing out of the holes 33 in thesidewall 12 will then flow downstream between the inner surface of thepool skimmer assembly and the sidewall 12 and into piping from the poolskimmer assembly to the pool pump and filter assembly, said waterflowing through the holes 33 of the sidewall 12 having been filtered ofdebris by the sidewall 12.

The downstream end 22 of the frame 20 can be seen in FIG. 1 as well asin FIGS. 2A and 2B. The downstream end 22 is a solid, annular, rigidring which has a flat lower surface 35, most clearly seen in FIG. 2B. Inother embodiments, the lower surface 35 has a channel formed into thelower surface 35 which receives, in a nesting engagement, an annulartongue formed on the bottom 13 so that the bottom 13 forms a sealagainst the frame 20. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, the lowersurface 35 extends nearly entirely continuously around the downstreamend 22 and is disrupted only by the hinge 15. The hinge 15 is carried onboth the basket 11 and the bottom 13, with two knuckles 40 projectingintegrally from the downstream end 22 of the basket 11 which areenmeshed with three knuckles 41 projecting integrally from the bottom13. A pin 42 is set through the knuckles 40 and 41, and the knuckles 40and 41 rotate on the pin 42 to allow the bottom 13 to pivot about thehinge 15.

The bottom 13 of the basket 11 is a flat, monolithic disc or panelpivotally coupled to the downstream end 22 of the basket 11 andcorresponding in size to the downstream diameter D of the basket 11. Thebottom 13 has an upstream face 43, an opposed downstream face 44, and acircumferential edge 45. The bottom 13 is a filter element and is formedwith a plurality of holes 50 extending completely through the bottom 13from the upstream face 43 to the downstream face 44, allowing the flowof water A to move from the interior 34, through the holes 50, anddownstream from the basket apparatus 10, while trapping and collectingdebris above the bottom 13. The knuckles 41 project outwardly from thecircumferential edge 45 of the bottom 13.

With reference to FIG. 2B, the bottom 13 has a catch 51, whichcooperates with a latch 52 to define an engagement assembly 53 forretaining the bottom 13 in the closed position (as shown in FIG. 2A) andreleasing the bottom to the open position (as shown in FIG. 2B). Thecatch 51 is formed in a rectangular inset notch 54 in the bottom 13, andincludes a lip 55 proximate to the upstream face 43 and having athickness less than the distance between the upstream and downstreamfaces 43 and 44. In other embodiments, the catch 51 is beveled ratherthan being formed with the lip 55.

While the catch 51 is integral to the bottom 13, the latch 52 is carriedon and integral to the basket 11. The latch 52 is a fixture with aprojecting lip 56 that engages with the lip 55 on the catch 51 to retainthe bottom 13 against the downstream end 22 of the basket 11. The latch52 moves along the double-arrowed line F in FIG. 2B to engage anddisengage with the catch 51. The latch 52 moves forward, toward theinterior 34 and toward the hinge 15 to engage with the catch 51, andalso moves backward, away from the interior 34 and away from the hinge15 to disengage with the catch 51. The engagement assembly 53 isdiametrically opposed from the hinge 15 on the downstream end 22.

Turning now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, which are section views of the basketapparatus 10 taken along the lines 3A-3A and 3B-3B in FIGS. 1 and 2B,respectively, the latch 52 moves in response to activation of thetrigger 16, to which the latch 52 is operatively coupled through a cable60 extending throughout the handle 14. The handle 14 provides a locationfor the basket apparatus 10 to be gripped and manipulated, and alsohouses the structural elements which impart movement to the latch 52 inresponse to movement or activation of the trigger 16. The handle 14 hastwo portions: a lower portion, or shaft 61, which is secured to thesidewall 12 of the basket 11, and an upper portion, or grip 62, which isformed to be comfortable when gripped by hand. As seen in FIG. 1, thehandle 14 has a solid outer wall along both the shaft 61 and the grip62, bounding and defining an interior 57 of the handle 14 that isentirely enclosed from and impermeable to water.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the grip 62 has a top 63, an opposed bottom 64,and a front 65 and opposed back 66. the top and bottom 64 and 65 areeach flared slightly. A ridge 70 on the front 65 of the grip defines anindex finger groove 71 above the ridge 70 and a separate, secondarygroove 72 below the ridge 70 for an operator's other fingers. A slot 73is formed in the back of the grip 62, opposite the index finger groove71, and the trigger 16 is pivotally coupled within the slot 73 to moveinto and out of the slot 73.

The trigger 16 is a fixture having a body with a concave face 74.Opposite the face 74, the trigger 16 also includes an elongate leg 75extending away from the body of the trigger 16, which leg 75 is enclosedwithin the grip 62 and directed downward toward the shaft 61. Thetrigger 16 is mounted within the grip 62 on a pivot 80 for pivotalmovement about the pivot 80 between a rest position, in which the leg 75is proximate to the back 66 of the grip 62, as shown in FIG. 3A, and adepressed position, in which the trigger 16 is pivoted forward and theleg 75 is disposed into the ridge 70. The cable 60 is securely attachedto the leg 75, so that the cable 60 is pulled or relaxed in response topivoting of the trigger 16. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the cable 60 is set intothe trigger 16 and is anchored in the leg 75 with a washer 76, but inother embodiments, the cable 60 may be glued, tied, or otherwise securedon the leg 75. From the leg 75, the cable 60 extends down the handle 14to the bottom 64 of the grip 62, where the cable 60 is routed over a pin81, which acts as a bearing surface for the cable 60. From the pin 81,the cable 60 extends down to a camming element 82 in the shaft 61,proximate to the downstream end 22 of the basket 11. The cable 60 istaught between the trigger 16 and the camming element 82.

The shaft 61 has a front 90 and back 91, and the camming element 82 ismounted between the front 90 and back 91. The back 91 of the shaft 61 issecured to the sidewall 12 such as with rivets, screws, or otherfasteners. The camming element 82 is an elongate body mounted on a pivot83 within the shaft 61, and the camming element 82 has an upper end 84above the pivot and a lower end 85 below the pivot 83. When the trigger16 is in the rest position, the upper end 84 of the camming element 82is disposed proximate to the back 91 of the shaft 61, and the lower end85 of the camming element 82 is disposed proximate to the front 90 ofthe shaft 61, as shown in FIG. 3A. Depressing the trigger 16, as in FIG.3B, causes the leg 75 to move forward into the ridge 70, retracting, orpulling, the cable 60 upward, and pulling the upper end 84 of thecamming element 82 up, causing the camming element 82 to rotate aboutthe pivot 83 and move both the upper and lower ends 84 and 85 togenerally intermediate locations between the front and back 90 and 91 ofthe shaft 61. Releasing the trigger 16 causes the trigger 16 and thecamming element to return to their respective positions as shown in FIG.3A.

The lower end 85 of the camming element 82 is in sliding contact with aportion of the latch 52, so that the camming element 82 and latch 52 arecoupled to impart movement to each other. As the camming element 82pivots, the lower end 85 moves in sliding contact against the latch 52,the latch 52 acting as a bearing surface for the lower end 85. While thelatch 52 has a lip 56 which engages with the bottom 15 on the exteriorof the basket apparatus 10, the latch 52 also includes an upstanding arm92 within the shaft 61 formed with a socket 93. The arm 92 is a shortprojection extending above the lip 56 and terminates in the socket 93which is concave and directed toward the back 91 of the shaft 61. Thesocket 93 retains a helical spring 94 compressed between the latch 52and the back 91 of the shaft 61. The spring 94 urges the latch 52forward into engagement with the catch 51 on the bottom 15, and alsourges the lower end 85 toward the front 90 of the shaft 61, biasing thetrigger 16 into the rest position thereof. When the trigger 16 isdepressed, it is depressed with sufficient force to overcome the forwardforce of the spring 94 and cause the lower end 85 to move in slidingcontact against the socket 93, move the socket 93 toward the back 91 ofthe shaft 61, and compress the spring 94, as shown in FIG. 3B. As thesocket 93 moves toward the back 91 of the shaft 61, so does the lip 56of the latch 52, thereby disengaging with the lip 55 of the catch 51 torelease the bottom 13. Conversely, when the trigger 16 is released, thespring 94 exerts an outward force against the socket 93 on the latch 52,causing the latch 52 to slide forward and imparting pivotal movement tothe camming element 92 about the pivot 83, so that the upper end 84 ofthe camming element 82 moves toward the back 91 of the shaft 61 andpulls the cable 60 downward, causing the trigger 16 to pivot about thepivot 80 and return to the rest position of the trigger 16.

In operation, the basket apparatus 10 is placed into a pool skimmerassembly, disposed just above the piping from the pool skimmer assemblyto the pool pump and filter assembly. When the basket apparatus 10 is inthe pool skimmer assembly, the bottom 13 is in the closed position, indirect contact continuously against the lower surface 35 of the basket11. In this arrangement, the bottom 13 is disposed in an interferenceposition in the flow of water A between the upstream and downstream ends21 and 22 of the frame 20, and the basket 11 is useful for collectingdebris from the flow of water A. FIG. 3A shows the basket 11 and theflow of water A, but the skimmer assembly is not shown for clarity. Asdebris from the pool, such as leaves, twigs, flowers, bugs, and likeitems, are drawn into the pool skimmer assembly by the vacuum pressureapplied to the pool skimmer assembly by the pump, that debris is drawninto and collected in the basket 11. The debris typically will collectfirst against the upstream face 43 of the bottom 13, and then, as thedebris accumulates, will begin to cover the sidewall 12 as well. As moredebris is collected within the basket 11, less water can flow throughthe basket 11, and eventually the basket apparatus 10 must be cleaned ofthe debris.

To clean the debris from the basket apparatus 10, a pool operator merelyneeds to reach into the pool skimmer assembly, as by hand, and grab thebasket apparatus 10 by the grip 62 in a thumb-up orientation of thehand, so that the operator's thumb is proximate the top 63 of the grip62 and the operator's pinky finger is proximate to the bottom 64 of thegrip 62. The handle 14 extends above the basket 11 by such a distancethat the handle 14 i is not submerged under water, so that the pooloperator keeps his hand dry. The basket apparatus 10 is then lifted upby the pool operator out of the pool skimmer assembly, and is takenabove a trash can or area in which the debris can be deposited. Once thebasket apparatus 10 is over the trash can, the operator moves his thumbover the trigger 16 and depresses the trigger 16 inward into the grip 62to the depressed position of the trigger 16. Depressing the trigger 16pulls the cable 60 upward within the handle 14, and causes the cammingelement 82 to pivot, moving the lower end 85 into the latch 52 andimparting translational movement to the latch 52 away from the catch 51.The latch 52 moves away from the bottom 13 and clear of the catch 51,releasing the bottom 13, and the weight of the debris in the basket 11causes the bottom 13 to fall and pivot away from the basket 11 into theopen position thereof, so that the downstream end 22 of the basket 11,and the interior 34 is opened. With the downstream end 22 open, thedebris is released from the basket 11. Occasionally, the operator mayneed to gently shake the basket apparatus 10 once or twice to completelyremove the debris, as some debris may become lodged in the holes 50. Theoperator may release the trigger 16 back to the rest position, and thespring 94 will urge the latch 52 forwardly.

When the basket 11 is cleared of debris, the operator simply raises thebottom 13 from the open position to the closed position. The lip 55 ofthe catch 51 slides against the lip 56 of the latch 52, and as thebottom 13 is pressed back up into the closed position thereof, the lip55 of the catch 51 pushes the latch 52 backward slightly and moves pastthe lip 56 of the latch 52. Once the catch 51 is past the latch 52, thespring 94 urges the latch 52 forward to engage with the catch 51 andretain the bottom 13. With the bottom 13 now securely retained in theclosed position, the operator returns the basket apparatus 10 to thepool skimmer assembly, and the basket apparatus 10 will continue tocollect more debris.

The present invention is described above with reference to a preferredembodiment. However, those skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges and modifications may be made in the described embodimentwithout departing from the nature and scope of the present invention. Tothe extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from thespirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within thescope thereof.

Having fully and clearly described the invention so as to enable onehaving skill in the art to understand and practice the same, theinvention claimed is:
 1. A pool skimmer filter assembly comprising: aframe having an upstream end and a downstream end, the frame configuredfor insertion into a flow of water from the upstream end to thedownstream end; and a filter element coupled between the upstream anddownstream ends of the frame to move between a closed position and anopen position of the filter element while remaining attached to theframe.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter element is coupledto the downstream end of the frame.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein:in the closed position of the filter element, the filter element isdisposed in an interference position in the flow of water between theupstream and downstream ends of the frame; and in the open position ofthe filter element, the filter element is away from the downstream endof the frame and out of the flow of water.
 4. The assembly of claim 1,wherein the frame includes an upstanding sidewall bounding an interiorand formed with holes in fluid communication with the interior.
 5. Theassembly of claim 1, wherein: the filter element is coupled proximate tothe downstream end of the frame; and the frame and filter elementcooperate to form a basket with an opening proximate to the upstream endof the frame for collecting debris in the flow of water moving into thebasket from the upstream end toward the downstream end.
 6. The assemblyof claim 1, wherein the filter element is pivotally coupled to theframe.
 7. The assembly of 6, wherein: in the closed position of thefilter element, the filter element is in continuous and direct contactwith the frame to define a fluid-pervious receptacle; and in the openposition of the filter element, the filter element is released fromcontinuous and direct contact with the frame.
 8. The assembly of claim1, wherein: in the closed position of the filter element, the filterelement is in continuous and direct contact with the frame to define afluid-pervious receptacle; in the open position of the filter element,the filter is released from continuous and direct contact with theframe; a trigger is operatively coupled to the filter element to holdand release the filter element; and the filter element moves from theclosed position to the open position in response to activation of thetrigger.
 9. The assembly of claim 8, further comprising: a handleextending upwardly from the frame to above the frame; and a triggerlocated in the handle is operatively coupled to the filter element torelease the filter element from the closed position to the openposition.
 10. A pool skimmer filter assembly for disposition in a flowof water being drawn into a pool filter and pump assembly, the poolskimmer filter assembly comprising: a sidewall having opposed upstreamand downstream ends; a handle extending upwardly from the sidewall; afilter element coupled to the sidewall proximate to the downstream endto move between a closed position of the filter element and an openposition of the filter element while remaining attached to the sidewall;and in the closed position of the filter element, the sidewall and thefilter element define a basket for collecting debris from the flow ofwater.
 11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein in the open position of thefilter element, the downstream end of the sidewall is opened by thefilter element.
 12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein in the closedposition of the filter element, the basket is against the sidewall andcooperates with the sidewall to define a fluid-pervious receptacle. 13.The assembly of claim 10, wherein the filter element is pivotallycoupled to the sidewall.
 14. The assembly of claim 10, furthercomprising: a trigger carried in the handle; and the trigger isoperatively coupled to the filter element to release the filter elementfrom the closed position to the open position.
 15. The assembly of claim14, further comprising: a catch carried in the sidewall for engagementwith the filter element; and activation of the trigger imparts movementof the catch to release the filter element.
 16. A pool skimmer filterassembly comprising: a basket having a sidewall and a rigid filterelement coupled to the sidewall to move between an open position and aclosed position while remaining attached to the sidewall; a triggeroperatively coupled to the filter element to hold the filter element inthe closed position and to release the filter element to the openposition in response to activation of the trigger; an interior of thebasket having a downstream end; in the closed position of the filterelement, the downstream end of the interior of the basket is bound bythe filter element; and in the open position of the filter element, thedownstream end of the interior of the basket is opened by the filterelement.
 17. The assembly of claim 16, further comprising a handleextending upwardly from the sidewall.
 18. The assembly of claim 17,wherein the trigger is carried on the handle.
 19. The assembly of claim16, wherein the filter element is pivotally coupled to the sidewall. 20.The assembly of claim 19, further comprising: a catch carried in thesidewall; in the closed position of the filter element, the filterelement is engaged with the catch; and in the open position of thefilter element, the filter element is released from the catch.
 21. Theassembly of claim 20, wherein: the filter element is coupled to thesidewall at a pivot; and the pivot is opposed from the catch on thesidewall.